Sunday, October 25, 2015

Last weekend I returned from yet another week on the High Seas. Yep, Reader, if you're counting, that makes my fourth cruise for 2015. So basically, a great year. I should write a book on How to Do Unemployment Like a Boss. Except now I'm working again, and it's all I can do to scratch out a few words for you here. Although, I am picking up the pace a bit, thanks to Liz Gilbert and Big Magic. This might be the only thing I leave behind in this life, which is sorta sad, so I guess I'd better go plant a tree or something to make up for it and then people will be all, "See that tree? Trixie Bang Bang planted that!" instead of, "Did you read that blog where Trixie Bang Bang talked about cats and vaginas, but not at the same time because that's sort of weird and even she had boundaries, albeit limited."

I'm frankly not sure which is better, Reader. I don't especially mind if this is my magnus opus, rather than planting a tree that could be washed away in a rainstorm or bulldozed to build a new parking lot. See how I've just rationalized sitting at the table drinking coffee vs. digging holes outdoors? I'm genius, Reader, pure genius. This is my legacy. I'm doing it for the future.

Anyway, back to point of this, which is I went on a lot of vacations this year, and always always always when I come back I have a few staple resolutions for Back From Vacation Me.

That's a pretty shitty resolution list and no wonder I hate coming home from vacation, where the good times roll. I'm constantly looking for the next trip, I need to escape my own insanity.

I even have much shorter-term goals that I lay on myself, which are mostly just as unpleasant. This is my actual to-do list from my first day back from vacation. I had lofty goals.

The listoriginally stopped at Clean Cat Litter.

By 6 p.m. on Sunday I realized I hadn't accomplished one thing on the list and was starting to feel like a Sunday Fail.

So I did what everyone should do in that situation, and I modified the list.

With things I had actually accomplished that day, therefore able to check right off, pat myself on the back and sit down for an evening of t.v. that needed to be watched, which was equally important and should have been the VERY FIRST THING on this stupid list. Because Walking Dead premiered while I was sailing around the Caribbean and I had a much-needed date with Rick Grimes & Friends.

But did I even put that on the list? No. Because sometimes I am a dolt.

Sometimes you need to celebrate the small accomplishments, Reader.

I drank some water.

I ate an apple.

I showered, for chrisssakes, complete with a hair washing and leg shaving, so basically a shower with the works which counts for a lot around here.

And I took a nap with Kitty Purry, because she missed mama for an entire week. I did it for her, Reader, because I'm a giver that way. She thought this was much more important than vacuuming and washing clothes.

Not only did she pee on me, but it sort of ricocheted off my back/butt area and splattered right into My Misters open mouth, mid-sentence.

So yeah. I think she was expressing her disdain that the Clean Litter Box check point wasn't done to her satisfaction. While the litter pans did get scooped, she wanted the floor mopped, too. Since I've tidied up her area we've been incident-free. Which is lucky for her, because she was thisclose to having a similar outcome as the itsy bitsy spider.

This is the second Golden Shower I've gotten from Purry, by the way. It always comes down to my not meeting her litter box needs. She definitely makes her point. And gets results. So basically, we should all just piss on whatever / whoever isn't meeting our needs.

Don't think the donuts are fresh enough? Piss on the baker.

Don't like sitting in traffic in the morning? Piss on the other drivers.

Don't like the line at Target? Piss on the people in front of you. But not at Walmart, because they may take it as flirtation.

So yeah. The moral of this story is to set realistic goals so you can feel like a champion, and learn your pets Love Language before you get a very unfortunate lesson at eleven o'clock at night.

Thursday, October 22, 2015

A giant-ish (well, the size of a nickel, perhaps giant-ish is a bit hyperbole) spider was just sauntering down my kitchen wall tonight, Reader. It was more of a slow mosey, really, but I knew I had to address the situation because spiders are not allowed to live inside Chez Bang Bang. It's a rule. They should read the signs posted by all the entranceways. It crossed my mind that I would grab a paper towel, gently smoosh the towel around the spider and then re-home him. Because The Dalai Lamas Cat. Have you read this one yet, Reader? If not, add it to your reading que, it's a good little story with life lessons in there. And plus, it's about a cat. So win-win.Then the Sauntering Spider Situation took a really disturbing turn, because it looked like there was a yellow-y clearish bubble thing on it's back, and I'm not exactly an official doctor, but I do use Web MD a lot and almost correctly diagnosed myself with skin cancer so basically I have medical skills to perform diagnostics. And that spider was either infected with ebola, or it was going to have a gazillion little spider babies all over my house. I. Was. Not. Pleased. With any of this situation. The having to take care of it part, or the just ignore it part and hope she saunters her preggo ass outta the house before hatching. I had very little choice in this matter, and gave myself a running little pep talk in my brain as I walked past the spider, through the kitchen to get a paper towel to gently scoop it up and place it outside. Like, "Hey, SpiderWoman, I'm just gonna walk right past you, it doesn't even bother me a bit, I'm a gazillion times your size, what harm can you really do ~pushes down visions of recluse spider damage from my mind's eye ~ I'm not even slightly on edge here, Spider." All the while I my insides were queasy and my hands were shaking. The spider didn't need to know this. And then a few cats were sitting at the bottom of the wall, just watching this spider and it's slow descent, and basically they suck at their job which is to keep all things like spiders out of the house. So yeah, useless, and the opposite of the Dalai Lama's Cat. Or maybe they're too much like the Dalai's cat, all "Live and Let Live" bullshitty. Regardless. I was disappointed in them. I got the paper towel, leaned in for the spider and before I even knew what I was doing, I was screaming and making "eeekkkk" sounds and my fingers clamped together and crushed the poor little fucker. It was like I had an out-of-body spider trapping experience, with no control over my movements. Reader. When my fingers came together, there was a popping sound combined with a specific *pop* feeling, like a pimple being popped. I screamed even louder, and then did a little unchoreographed jig in the kitchen as I was tossing the remains in the trash. It was really a spectacular site, and you missed it. Which is why you should come over sometime! We could visit. And re-home spiders together. Since The Incident, I've been sort of afraid to go near the trash - which is totally rational, I know - but you could throw out all my garbage for me while you're here, too! So yeah. That happened. And now I'm just like Planned Parenthood, only I don't have free condoms to hand out.* I fully expect the Republicans and Christians to boycott the fuck outta me and take away my funding. *I'm not sure if Planned Parenthood actually passes out free condoms, but it seems like something they might do and it's easier to just go with it than to actually look it up and be sure. I'm good with just guessing. It's the Lazy Girl Research and yeah, I'm going to trademark the shit outta that. Just as soon as I make up a way to go about trademarking things. Here! I think actually posting it HERE, RIGHT NOW, is sort of like claiming dibs on it! Consider yourself trademarked, Lazy Girl Ways. I see a new venture in our future. As soon as we can get off of the couch.

Tuesday, October 20, 2015

In the interest of "write more, sit at a desk less," I'm trying a new position in bed, Reader. I've brought my laptop to bed and am trying to see if Creativity is able to find me while I'm propped up with pillows in a semi-reclined position. I'm not sure if this position lends itself to creativity. At least not with a computer. Ba-da-bing! Who are we kidding, mostly not with anything else either, unless it involves compiling a lengthy wish-list in my head of home renovations I want to do that have been inspired by HGTV. That's what mostly happens in bed around Chez Bang Bang. Mostly, Reader, because I'm still a lady of mystery. Did you laugh as hard as I did over that last sentence?! Wooo Doggie me too! as Andy Griffith would say.But back to the business at hand, which is create more. As I've mentioned in my prior post, I love Elizabeth Gilbert's book Big Magic so hard, and I really want to try a make some creative changes - I'm getting no where fast and feeling stale. Because if nothing changes, nothing changes. But I have the toughest time with her biggest point, which is discipline. I'm just so tapped out after sitting at a desk for eight to ten solid hours during the work week that the last thing I want to do is open my laptop and sit at the kitchen table. But I want to write stuff. Feel the conundrum, Reader? Me, too. So I'm giving this a go. We are now officially in bed together. I expect flowers in the morning, just so you know. Although I did re-take my Love Languages test today to see if my expectations had changed and no sirree, they have not. Wanna get in my pants? Do the dishes and run the vacuum. If you filled up my car with gas once a week and ever ever ever ran it through the car wash for me, this body would be your wonderland. Well, not necessarily a wonderland in the John Meyer sense, but more along the lines of "I wonder what the fuck is going on there?" kinda way. That kinda wonderland. But it could be yours, all yours, for the simple act of a few household chores and maybe installing a rainforest showerhead for me. So yeah. Just come over and install my showerhead tomorrow, Reader, skip the flowers. Alright. This didn't go anywhere near the road I had intended to take, but I took you along for the ride on a Tuesday night, Reader, and that's the important part - I'm in bed, and putting out for YOU, mid-week! And you thought our relationship had no surprises left. Don't underestimate me. Don't overestimate me, either. Just don't do any sort of estimating, I guess is the lesson here. Okay. We'll try this again tomorrow night. Maybe it'll be better. I need a ciggy*. *I stayed up way way way too late Sunday night watching Bridget Jones Diary. It has sort of embedded itself in my brain, and I even woke up this morning singing - complete with a British accent - a made-up musical number about the hole in my sock and too many cats in the house. See what you miss when you don't spend the night, Reader? **I stayed up way way way too late Monday night watching a fucking scary movie, which I hate, but got sucked in and couldn't stop watching and it lasted until 2 a.m. or something ridiculous, and when the credits rolled it said it was a true story, so then I was really fretful all night long and tossed and turned and had a stuffy nose which really just compounded the problem. The end result equalled two nights in a row with short/tossy-turny sleep and a lot of red eyes today at work. **And oh, by the way, I don't really need a ciggy. It's just fun to say ciggy. ***And lastly, I think the verdict is out on whether or not I'm good in bed. At blogging, Reader. At blogging. I know I'm awesome at the other thing. (sleep).

Monday, October 19, 2015

Hi Reader, Hi!!! Long time, no words from me to you. It's not because I don't love you, Reader - I do, I really really do!

But I've been all caught up in my life and then I went on vacation. Yep, I had my fourth and final cruise for 2015 just this past week. And it was super-fun, as always, only this one had an extra-special twist because somehow I convinced my almost-80-and-set-in-his-ways daddio and his lady-friend to join us on this trip.

I know, I was surprised, too!

In all seriousness - which is rare around these parts - it was so great to spend time with them. I realized that my dad is actually getting older. And that's a hard realization to accept, Reader. And I also learned more of his words of wisdom on this trip, which I shall use myself at some point in my life.

We took a trolley tour of Jamaica. He really enjoyed the tour, and I think seeing how shamble-y it is outside the Walls of Vacation was eye-opening, and he really liked the Jamaican girl who gave us the tour. So much so, that he gave her a little tip, and wanted to tell her supervisor what a great job she did.

After he did that, we were walking away and he uttered my very favorite sentence of the whole trip. You need to read this with a slow southern drawl, please. Yes, Reader, it's time you did a little work with this blog. So practice it, and then you can read this next sentence.

Alright? Ready? Go.

"Well, I may not be able to put a shingle on her roof, but I sure as heck ain't gonna take one off, neither."

So yeah. Gold. Pure Gold.

And now I'm back, feet on the ground again. And I am almost finished with my vacation book, Liz Gilbert's newest release Big Magic and it has reignited me to work on my craft, with fortunately - or unfortunately, as the case may be - is writing this nonsense, it's how I give back to the WORLD, Reader, so really I'm a philanthropist with a CRAFT and not just words about vaginas, vacations and cats.

I'm Big Magic. Don't de-shingle my roof, Reader.

**For you, Reader, who may not quite understand my daddio's words of wisdom and took it right to something dirty, first of all get your mind out of the gutter. Not everything on here goes there. It usually does. But not always. Basically it means if you can't say/do something nice, don't say/do anything at all. But his version is much, much, much more magically fun.

Throw a surprise party - CHECK! Kenny's 40th, Linda's 60th, My moms way back in the day.

Publish a piece of fiction

Have an offshore bank account - tried to do this in Grand Caymen, it's tougher than getting married! Letters of reference, bank statements..they want a lot of stuff to float my 50large around down there.

Swim with dolpins - check

Drink Guinness in an Irish Pub

Drink wine under the Tuscan sun - check

Use a bidet - CHECK! Trip to Italy 2006ish?

Swim in tropical waters - check

See the sun rise and set over the ocean in the same day - CHECK! Florida. We watched the sun set on the one coast, drove across the state, got up in the morning and watched the sun rise of the east coast the next morning.

Go on a safari

Ride in a helicopter - CHECK! During my "married to a policeman" years, friends with the police chopper pilot, took a few spins over the glorious city of Cleveland.

Whitewater rafting - CHECK! Back in my younger/married/unwiser years, rafted in WV, the Gulley River was one of 'em. Lived to tell about it.

Skydive - CHECK! During married/unwiser/braver years. Three times, I did. I was brave, had to do it again, and again to prove it wasn't just hormones, but actual braveness.